


Inkopolis Rising: Book 1 - Genisis Arc (OUTDATED)

by Modderkin64



Series: Inkopolis Rising (OUTDATED) [1]
Category: Splatoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22806652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Modderkin64/pseuds/Modderkin64
Summary: In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.(NOTICE: This work is no longer canon, and will be rewritten at some point in the future. This original version will still be up however!)Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.The Entire story, as well as more information about it by me, can be viewed on my blog. I'll update here whenever I finish an Arc.
Series: Inkopolis Rising (OUTDATED) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639567





	1. Chapter 1

The arena was packed. Crowds of Inklings cheered from the stands, the excitement of the match overwhelming them. It was the final match of the Turf War League, and the stakes were high. Two teams would meet, and one would claim victory. The voice of the announcer boomed over the crowd.

“Welcome to the final match of the 10th Annual Turf War League!” The crowd cheered. “Today, we have the two teams who beat all the others, who claimed victory in this ultimate tournament! And here comes our first team, the quartet of squid kids who have been winning these tournaments for four years now! I give you… Team Blastoff! ”

Four squids super jumped onto the blue spawn point. They were wearing matching shirts, but different headgear and footwear. One held a Carbon Roller, another an E-liter 3K Scope. A particularly burly one wielded a Hydra Splatling, and their Captain readied his Splattershot Pro.

“And here comes the other team, the talented trio of newbies who have beaten the odds… as well as every other team they have encountered thus far!” The crowd cheered even harder. A trio team was rare, but it meant that each squid was strong and skilled enough that they didn’t need the customary fourth member. “I give you… Team Triton!”

The three members super jumped onto the orange spawn point. The crowd was roaring in the stands. Colvin was in front. He was holding his Octobrush Nouveau like a sword, with the sun causing his pilot goggles to glimmer like gold. Behind him was Vivian, with her Tri-Slosher in hand. Her white studio headphones complimented her black tee. The last member of the trio was known only by her last name, Triad, though everyone called her Three. She was equipped with her favourite weapon, an N-ZAP ’83, custom painted with orange markings to match her octoglasses, orange cardigan, and soccer cleats. Triad was the Captain, and her teammates were her friends. She had successfully led them through the Turf War League, defeating four of the 32 teams who had been chosen for the league. And now it was time for their grand finale. The final match of the entire Turf War League Event.

The Announcer counted down. The audience joined in. “5! 4! 3! 2! 1!”

The match started. Colvin made a beeline for the other team’s spawn point, while Vivian and Three started inking turf in opposite directions. Three went to the right, covering the grey concrete of the arena with vibrant orange ink. She recalled their strategy. Colvin was equipped mainly to take out other players, so he went to the spawn to keep the other team contained. That left Vivian and Three to cover the Turf as fast as possible. If anyone got past Colvin, Triad made sure to remove them from the equation as soon as possible. Vivian got extremely nervous and froze up when other players were nearby. The match hit the one minute mark. Everything was going great so far. Then the bad news came through the microphone in Three’s ear.

“Three!” Colvin yelled. “Someone got through! He’s makin’ a beeline for Viv!”

“On it,” replied Three. She headed towards her teammate. Vivian had covered tons of ground, her Tri-Slosher flinging orange ink around her. The noise of her swings drowned out the sounds of footsteps approaching. Someone was sneaking up behind her, intent on destroying the strategy Three had planned. The blue front of a Splattershot Pro aimed, readying a series of shots that would take out a third of his opposition. A golf visor coved the eyes of Team Blastoff’s Captain, who disliked the thought of this trio team taking the victory that was rightfully his. However, he was unable to take the shot before a figure taller than him materialized behind him. He turned to see bright purple eyes staring into his green ones. He let out a small squeak of fear. This sound alerted Vivian, who dashed away and left Triad to deal with her would-be assassinator. With all the uninterrupted turf coverage, Three had been able to charge her Special. She tapped into the energy granted by her weapon and transformed into a mighty beast of the deep: the Kraken. Whereas before she had been only a foot taller than the opposing Captain, she now was twice his size, each of her ten tentacles was as long as his body. He never stood a chance. Two tentacles came smashing down, crushing him into the floor and splatting him in one fell swoop. When Three returned to normal five seconds later, she mentally apologized for her actions. She usually never eliminated someone like that. The only bad thing the opposing Captain had done was targeting her friend.

The match continues mostly uneventfully. Occasionally someone would break through, and Three would take them out before they caused to much trouble. But the strategy hadn’t accounted for the intelligent mind inside the opposing Captain. Colvin only patrolled a certain radius from the spawn point, because he would be splatted if he got to close. The Captain knew that special weapons were charged by covering turf. So, by covering as much as he could, he could charge up his powerful Inkstrike. It took a while, but his gauge finally filled. And then he unleashed it right in Colvin.

Colvin never saw it coming. He didn’t see the tornado of blue ink until it was literally on top of him. And by then, it was too late for him. When his eyes opened, he was on his team’s spawn platform. On the opposite side of the arena from where he needed to be.

Three’s voice could be heard over his earpiece. “Colvin, what happened.”

“I-I-Inkstrike…” was the only word he could muster.

Three briefly lost her cool and unleashed a short collection of words that shall not be repeated here. I will say, however, that they were very angrily directed at the opposing Captain. She dashed in the direction of the other team, hoping to keep the situation contained. But it was hard. Her enemies had been freed, and they weren’t happy to have been trapped. Triad was immediately pelted by shots from a Hydra Splatling, and her escape routes were covered by the E-Liter. The hostile ink reacted with her own, causing her to combust in a burst of blue ink. The world was dark for a few seconds, and then she respawned at her spawn point. She prepared to jump back into action when she heard a scream. It was coming from Vivian. She focused on her location and super jumped to her teammate. Vivian was being chased by the blue team inkling with a Carbon Roller. However, he stopped chasing his quarry after the very tall and very angry lady shot him in the face.

Though Three tried her best, Team Blastoff was using their superior numbers to shift the balance in their favour. So Three decided to put her team’s trump cards into play. She gathered her teammates. They had prepared to activate their specials. Vivian activated her Bubbler, creating a bubble-shaped shield around her teammates and herself. Then Colvin activated his Inkzooka, transforming his Octobrush into a potent, long-distance weapon. Three unleashed her Kraken, and the team used their power and invincibility to cover as much turf as possible, splatting anyone who got in their way.

The match ended. The players froze, waiting for the announcement of the winner. The audience was silent. The announcer’s voice echoed through the quiet arena.

“Well folks, it seems we have a close match. However, the winner is… Team Triton!”

The audience roared with delight. The players super jumped out of the arena, where Three’s team was handed the Turf War League Trophy. The trio lifted the trophy to the sky triumphantly. They were so busy celebrating their victory, they didn’t notice the opposing team’s Captain staring daggers at them. When they walked out the door and headed for home, they were unable to hear him swearing revenge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

Three was standing in an open field. (Strange,) she thought. (The dreams usually start in the middle of the action.) She started walking forwards, unsure what was supposed to happen. There was a sound behind her. She turned to see… an old-school telephone. It was standing on a metal rod, with its box-shaped body on top. It had two bells on the front, around the height of her chin. There was a speaker below the bells. It was ringing. She walked closer. It stopped ringing. A voice came from the speaker, a voice she didn’t recognize. It sounded like a teenager’s voice, but not an Inkling’s. It was speaking a language unknown to her, yet she understood the meaning.

“Three?” the telephone asked.

She was surprised. The whole situation was very unlike her other dreams.

“It’s time,” the telephone continued.

“Time for what?” Three asked.

“Time for you…” the telephone crumbled to dust. Three didn’t have time to answer before a booming, almost synthetic voice finished the sentence. “…TO OPEN UP YOUR EYES.”

The grassy field began to disappear. Squares of grass were pulled away, revealing a labyrinth of cubes and wires underneath. Three fell through the hole, falling for what seemed like half an hour. Then the scenery around her was replaced by a large city. She landed on her feet on the tallest building. Five armies were coming in from five sides. Machines spurting purple ink, white and grey robots, eels in mech suits, swarms of killer fish, and titanic shark kaiju. They collided with her building, and it exploded from the bottom. It began to collapse in the direction of the eels, and she fell off the side. The city was suddenly empty until it was flooded with strange, bustling lifeforms. Her mind told her they were not Inklings. In the distance, twelve powerful entities were duking it out, though Three couldn’t understand why. Then the world around her was covered in water, and everything went dark.

A light came on. She was standing in a black void, nothing to be seen other than a mirror in front of her. But the reflection staring back wasn’t hers. It looked like her, but Three could sense dark intent radiating from it. Then it stepped out of the mirror and stabbed her side with a sword blade. Then it all vanished. Three was alone in the void, her ink leaking out from her stab wound. Then it knit itself back together, as if by magic. She stood up. And suddenly, she wasn’t alone. A monumental figure appeared in front of her, stretching below her to the depths of the void. She was a league away from its face. She couldn’t make out much of its form. Its eyes were closed. The aura of pure power surrounding it pushed her down. It’s right eye opened, a ring of brilliant orange surrounded by white. Then it’s other eye opened. It glowed like a sun, a neon orange island in a sea of bright blue. It spoke, in the same voice she had heard from the telephone.

“Are you ready, Miss Triad?”

\--------------------

Three woke with a scream. In the sleeping bag next to her, Vivian woke with another scream. On the other side, Colvin continued snoring.

Three attempted to call her friend down. “Don’t worry, it was just a weird dream.”

Vivian was shaken by her awakening but soon calmed down. Three looked out of their tent’s window. It was almost sunrise. Three stretched, then stood up. Her green sleeping bag fell to her ankles. Vivian followed her example. Finally, Three picked up Colvin, shaking his sleeping bag off. Being a very heavy sleeper, Colvin wasn’t woken by Three carrying him outside. She sat him up on a log in the clearing they were camping in, then began pacing until Vivian was finished getting dressed. When she was done, Three re-entered the tent, exchanging her fuzzy cat-themed jammies for a comfortable pair of jeans and a hoodie. When she was finished, she exited the tent once more and was greeted to the site of Vivian unpacking the portable stove. Before long, the smell of sausage wafted through the forest air. The sausages were nearly done when Colvin stirred, finally waking. He had barely opened his eyes when Three pointed him towards the tent, where he went to equip his hiking clothes. He returned a few minutes later, at which point he was handed a plate of sausages and eggs. In between bites, Three told them about her dream. It remained imprinted on her mind, which was rare even for her dreams.

Colvin laughed when Three mentioned the giant sharks. “Megladons? Seriously? Those things don’t exist! They’re children’s stories!”

“Who’s dream is it, yours or Three’s?” Replied Vivian. Three knew that she secretly believed in the giant sharks that ruled the earth like the human dinosaurs before the Inklings finished evolving. Three was undecided on the matter.

After breakfast, they began to tidy their camp. Three directed them, although she took down the tent herself. Three carried most of the equipment on her back, being the insanely strong person that she was. She probably could have carried a boulder half her size like it was a beach ball. She hadn’t bothered to find out if she could do that exact feat, however, because she didn’t care about her limits as long as they were enough for the job. Thus, she did most of the heavy lifting for her friends.

The group was hiking up Mount Nantai. They had spent a bunch of the victory money from the Turf War League to go on a camping/hiking trip. Vivian had always wanted to climb Mt. Nantai, an extinct volcano about a hundred miles away from Inkopolis. The mountain and the regions surrounding it were covered in forests, and there was an unusual yet convenient lack of dangerous creatures.

The trio climbed their way to the top of the mountain, where an observation platform had been constructed near where the volcano’s opening had been. The team spent several hours looking out over the side, marvelling at the untouched countryside. Finally, they prepared to head back to the base of the mountain to set up camp for the night. Vivian was reading her trail map. She wanted to go a different way than they had come, to experience more of the mountain. So Three and Colvin followed her lead. Eventually, they came to a wooden bridge.

Vivian studied her map. “That bridge isn’t supposed to be here…”

Colvin shrugged. “Maybe we took a wrong turn.”

“The bridge could be new,” retorted Three.

Vivian turned to Three for instructions. Three was a quick thinker, and her friends often turned to her when in need of ideas. “I say we head across the bridge. Maybe we can get some cool pictures.”

Colvin crossed first, taking his camera out of his bag. He snapped some shots of Three and Vivian on the bridge, then swapped out with Vivian. They continued taking turns taking pictures until Vivian was left on the bridge alone, posing for the last few photos.

\--------------------

Meanwhile, about a mile away, An Octoling Captain made his way to the surveillance room. One of the security cameras stationed on Mt. Nantai had caught something that demanded his attention. The Captain had long since learned that such occurrences were no big deal, but it made him look good to the higher-ups to at least take a look. He was being closely followed by his assistant, a recently-promoted Elite named Elisha. She was eager to prove herself to her Captain, and he was sure he saw a promotion to Commander coming her way soon. The two entered the surveillance room, where one of the Octolings watching the cameras had picked up something.

The Octoling who had made the discovery stood up upon the Captain’s entry. “Sir! I’ve sighted Squidlings near the west entrance.”

(Must be some stray hikers,) thought the Captain. (This might be a good exercise for Elisha.)

He turned to face his loyal underling. “Elisha,” he began.

Elisha snapped to attention. “Yes, sir?”

“Can you tell me what consequences these Squidling hikers might cause?”

Elisha thought for a few minutes. “Well sir, it appears they are taking pictures. They might take a photo of the hidden door to our base.”

(Darn,) thought the Captain. (She’s good.) “If you were in my position… how would you deal with them, preventing them from leaving with possible important secrets?”

Elisha had an answer much quicker than the Captain had anticipated. “I would… take out the bridge and let them fall. The other Squidlings would trace it to a defect in the bridge, provided they manage to survive the drop and tell others.”

The Captain grinned. “Excellent thinking, Elite Elisha. I think I might smell a promotion coming your way _very_ soon.”

Elisha blushed. “Thank you, sir.”

The Captain reached into his pocket. He pulled out an octopus-shaped communicator. He sent a message to whoever would be in charge of disabling the bridge. He left the room, Elisha trailing behind. He began walking towards his office. He had some promotion paperwork to fill out.

\--------------------

Vivian was still on the bridge when the accident happened. Later, Three couldn’t recall how it happened. All she remembered was the bridge posts on her side spontaneously giving way, dropping Vivian into the void below before she even had the chance to scream.

\--------------------

Hours later, Colvin and Three were sitting in a hospital waiting room, staring into space as they waited for news about Vivian. They weren’t talking to each other. There were tears in their eyes as the thought about what could have happened differently, what events could have spared their friend. An Anemone nurse walked into the room, walking towards the two sulking Inklings.

Three stood up at once. “How bad is it?”

The nurse thought her answer a few minutes. She needed to say the right words to assure the two Inklings they had the situation under control. “She’ll live.”

Three felt a wave of relief washing over her. But she could sense from the nurse’s tone that there was a detail she was leaving out. “What’s the bad news.”

The nurse was attempting to hold back tears. Nurse’s school hadn’t prepared her to deliver this kind of news. “She… is going to be crippled. P-permanently.”

Three’s world came crashing down around her.

The nurse continued. “She won’t be able to use her arms or legs again, they were to badly damaged by the fall. She’s very lucky you were able to call so fast, any longer down there and her injuries would have been fatal.”

Colvin finally spoke. “Can we see her?”

“I’m afraid not. She’s currently unconscious. It’s best to give her space until she’s had time to heal more. We’ll let you know when you can come visit.”

Three and Colvin left the building, walking to their apartment. They both were quiet. When they finally entered their door, Three said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Colvin didn’t face her. “Why,” he asked, “should I talk to the person who almost killed my best friend?”

The sheer anger in his voice caused Three to take a step back. “How is this my fault?”

“It was your idea to go across the bridge. Your idea to stay and take pictures. It’s your fault she’s in the hospital, on the brink of permanent death!”

Three broke into tears. She ran back outside, never to set foot inside that apartment again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

Two days had passed since Three’s fight with Colvin. The two hadn’t spoken since then. Three doubted they ever would. Now Three was hanging around Inkopolis Plaza, having nothing better to do than sit around her favourite cafe and contemplate the meaning of life. However, her musings on the best method of space travel were interrupted by a voice coming from her side.

“This seat taken?” asked a strange inkling. At first, he looked nothing out of the ordinary, but then Three noticed a black eyepatch over his left eye. He had pale skin like Three had, and he had an orangey coloured eye. He wasn’t quite as tall as Three, though this was quite normal. He had a slight grin, the kind of grin worn by someone who just thought up the world’s funniest joke but was saving it for later. He was wearing a blue hoodie unzipped over a black shirt with a red symbol on it. His left hand had a black glove, though his right hand was bare. He wore dark-blue jeans with black and red-coloured running shoes. They had the same spiky symbol as his shirt. Lastly, he had a black beanie on his head, with a picture of a pixel-art white dog on the edge.

Three absorbed all this information in five seconds. “Go ahead,” she replied.

The Inkling sat down next to her. He placed a dark blue backpack on the table and pulled out a large plastic container of spaghetti. He then retrieved a spoon and bowl, which he piled with meat sauce and noodles. He looked over to Three, who had resumed calculating the chances of aliens existing. He noticed she had no food in front of her.

“Want some spaghetti?” Asked the stranger.

Three looked over. The spaghetti certainly looked tasty, and she was feeling quite hungry. She accepted the offer. Another bowl and spoon was pulled out of the backpack, and soon Three was digging into the best spaghetti she had ever tasted.

“You cook this yourself?” She asked.

The stranger nodded, his mouth full.

“You new to Inkopolis?” Asked Three.

“Yup. Just moved in this mourning.”

“What’s your name?”

“Most people call me Jack. I go around from place to place telling stories to anyone who listens.”

A strangely-dressed Inkling who travels and tells stories and shares spaghetti with random people. (That’s something you don’t see every day,) thought Three. The two started talking until eventually, they finished Jack’s container of spaghetti. It was late in the afternoon, and Three decided to head home. The weather forecast predicted a huge storm that night.

“Sorry, I think I should probably head home. It’s getting a bit late. Where will you be headed?”

Jack thought for a few seconds. “Well, I was thinking about looking around the city to find a nice bridge to sleep under.”

Three humoured his joke for a few seconds. Then she realized it wasn’t a joke.

“You’ve got to have somewhere to stay the night.”

“Sorry, I only just moved in here. And I don’t have the money yet to get my own place.”

Three thought for a few seconds. This dude had shown up, shared his spaghetti with a total stranger, seemed like a really nice guy, and had no place of his own. The solution seemed simple.

“You’re coming to my place. There’s more than enough room. There’s a big storm coming tonight, you shouldn’t be outside during one.”

“Well, I’m quite flattered by your offer, but we only just met. For all you know, I could be a thief. Or worse.”

“You don’t think I considered that? I can tell by the way you act that you’re a nice, honest guy. Perhaps one with a few secrets worth keeping, but a good person all the same.”

Jack shrugged. The deal was sounding pretty good to him. So the two went east of Inkopolis to Three’s house. Only it wasn’t a house. It was a MANSION. Three had inherited a medium-sized fortune from her father Edwin Triad, a highly-successful writer. He had purchased several acres of land, preferring quiet while he worked. Three had lived with her parents until a fire claimed their lives. She then began to re-build her mansion home, in addition to a large convention center on the edge of their property. Three had increased her father’s fortune by renting it out to fan conventions of all kinds of fandoms, often attending these conventions herself. However, living in the mansion was lonely, which was why she had rented an apartment with Colvin and Vivian. Jack was quite flabbergasted when he saw the three-story mansion that Three was leading him to. He was even more amazed when he stepped inside.

“Wow,” he said. “You must be pecking rich!”

“That is certainly a logical assumption,” replied Three.

She showed Jack one of the spare rooms, just down the hall from her room. She then gave him a tour of the rest of the mansion, showing him the kitchens, dining hall, theatre rooms, living rooms, and more.

“This place is nuts,” said Jack. “Just one question; where’s the bathroom?”

Three waited a second before answering. “There are four and a half bathrooms scattered throughout the three floors.”

“Hold on a sec. A half of a bathroom?”

“It doesn’t have all the features of a full bathroom.”

“Okay. Better show me a full one, I don’t want to take any chances.”

\--------------------

Three and Jack spent the rest of the evening watching anime in one of the theatre rooms. Jack admitted that he was surprised at the amount of Human anime she had collected, and by the fact she even had some episodes that had been dubbed from Human to Inklish.

“I’m a bit of a collector myself,” Jack said. “I don’t bother with the dubbed stuff as much though.”

“You prefer the subtitles over real audio?”

“No, I just prefer the original wording over the sloppy jobs that the translator did.”

It took Three a few seconds to understand what he was meaning. “You understand Human?”

Jack nodded. “I can read and speak over thirteen Human dialects. I’m strongest with English, but my Japanese is about as good.”

“I’ve never met anyone who knows that much. I heard that some translators know most of one language and some who had written translation books, but never anyone who knew more than two!”

Jack shrugged. “It’s just one of my skills.”

Everything Jack did seemed to make him more mysterious. The eyepatch was one thing, but understanding Human?

They started re-watching one of their shared favourites, Sword Art Online. They finished three episodes before Jack pulled out a laptop from his backpack. He had downloaded all the episodes of a series he called “Wakfu”, which had had personally written subtitles for. Three enjoyed it and soon watched six episodes before Jack decided to turn in for the night. Three lent him some pyjamas, a matching fleece shirt and pants that had orange and blue stripes.

\--------------------

Three awoke to booming thunder. She looked over at the clock near her bed. It wasn’t on. Three got up and put on her slippers. She tried the light. It wouldn’t turn on. She figured there must have been a power outage. She tiptoed over to Jack’s room. He was sound asleep. She walked downstairs, hoping to find out what had caused the outage. The breakers hadn’t shorted. There must have been a problem with the power lines, perhaps connected to the storm. Feeling hungry, she went to one of the smaller kitchens to grab something to eat before heading back to bed. Then she heard footsteps from beyond the kitchen door. She peeked through. It was pitch black, having no lights on or windows. She tiptoed in, moving to the drawer containing an emergency flashlight. She pointed towards the source of the footsteps. She flicked the button on and screamed.

“oh… that you three?” asked a very tired sounding voice.

“Jack?” Three asked.

The figure in front of her flourished his hands, stating “one… and tha same…” in the same tired voice. Jack’s tentacles were covering his face, obviously having been messed up by his sleep. He was still wearing his black glove, and his eyepatch was still there as well. He had a bowl of breakfast cereal in his hand, leading Three to the conclusion that he had come for a midnight snack just as she had. Three poured herself a bowl of granola and began munching it. The two stood there, in the dark, eating cereal. Once the two had finished, they headed back to bed.

\--------------------

When Three woke the following morning, the power was still out. She looked around the house to see if there was any cause indoors. When she got to the living room, however, Jack was staring out the window at something.

“What you looking at?” Asked Three.

Jack didn’t say anything. So Three asked again.

“There’s something weird about that tower over there.”

Three followed his gaze. “You mean Inkopolis Tower, where the Great Zapfish sleeps and generates power for Inkopolis?”

“What Great Zapfish?”

Three looked closer at the tall tower. Then she realized what was up. The Great Zapfish was missing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

All around Inkopolis, people were perplexed by the disappearance of the Great Zapfish. Many people were linking it to the power outages in the outskirts of the city. Suddenly, the screen in Inkopolis Plaza that showed the news lit up. Everyone nearby turned to look. Inkopolis’ most popular idols, the Squid Sisters, appeared. In addition to their fantastic songs, they acted as news reporters for Inkopolis News. The duo consisted of Callie and Marie, two near-identical Inklings. Callie had long, black tentacles tipped with hot pink, and Marie had shorter white tentacles with lime-green tips.

There was obvious confusion in Callie’s gold, star-pupiled eyes as she read her cue card. “Breaking news!” She shouted. “As many people have probably noticed by now, the Great Zapfish, which powers most of Inkopolis, is currently missing from it’s resting spot on Inkopolis Tower. The staff have looked into things and have come to the conclusion that the Great Zapfish has… been… just a sec.”

“Does it really say that?” Callie whispered to Marie. She thought she was being discreet, but the viewers could still quite clearly hear her.

“I-I think so…” Marie replied.

Callie cleared her throat. “The Great Zapfish… has been stolen.”

A collective gasp could be heard throughout Inkopolis.

Marie continued reading. “The staff at the Inkopolis Power Plant have confirmed that a large group of unknowns have lured the Great Zapfish away from the Tower, before capturing it along with a large group of normal Zapfish, the Great Zapfish’s children. The Inkopolis Police Department are looking into the situation, and assure the public that the Great Zapfish will soon be found and returned. Reassuring smile.”

The screen went blank.

\--------------------

The power was still out at the mansion, so Three and Jack had gone to Inkopolis Plaza instead. They had witnessed the news announcement and they were now witnessing the general public having a large, collective freak-out moment. Fortunately, Three and Jack were not part of the screams about the end of the world.

“I move here, and in just one day something big and catastrophic happens. Must be jinxed. Maybe that dude in…” He trailed off. He turned to Three, who was deep in thoughts of her own. “What’s your thoughts?”

Three was quiet. Jack asked again. “I’m worried about what effect the power losses could have. I have a friend in the hospital, and who knows what might happen if the hospitals lose power?”

Jack thought for a second. “I’ve found that there’s one thing that takes your mind off of worrying about that kind of thing.”

“What?”

“Doing something about the situation yourself. You’re worried about what might happen if the hospitals lose power, right? Well, let's go find the Great Zapfish ourselves!”

“I thought that the people actually qualified to do this were handling it?”

“That doesn’t mean people like us can’t help. What do you say?”

“I literally just met you yesterday. And now you’re asking me to help you do something I’m ninety percent sure is illegal.”

“Well, I’m going to help, whether you come or not. It’s my obligation as a resident of Inkopolis to help in the situation.”

Three thought for a few seconds. It was true that helping would keep her mind off of worrying. Plus the fact that she was smart enough to help solve this mystery…

“I’m in.”

\--------------------

Inkopolis Power Plant, located underground near Inkopolis Tower. A small building on the surface allowed access to the former quarry where the Power Plant had been built. The duo’s investigation began on the surface, looking for a possible entrance previously used by the perpetrators. Though the sun was setting, the point of entry was obvious, a large hole had been torn in the thick metal sheeting that covered the former quarry.

Three noticed that the edges of the hole were jagged, rather than smooth. “It looks like there was an explosion that tore this hole. The edges would have been smooth if it had been cut.”

“That makes sense. Explosives are a lot quicker than cutters, and the thunder would have masked the sound of the explosion. It’s quite likely that this had been planned quite far in advance.”

The duo jumped through the hole. They landed on a catwalk that was conveniently positioned under it. More evidence that this had been planned. The underground chamber was massive, and the large Power Plant building in the center was impressive, even though it was no longer generating most of the power it needed to produce. Tall pillars reached from the ground to the ceiling, acting as supports. Catwalks stretched between them, though they were mostly void of any life. Whoever stole the Zapfish must have entered the Power Plant via the catwalks. There were almost no guards. Most of them would be busy inside the Power Plant, guarding the remaining Zapfish. However, there were two Inklings positioned outside the entrance to the facility. There were no other obvious entrances. They would have to find a way to get past them.

Jack turned to Three. “Don’t worry. I got this.”

Jack walked right up to the two guards. Three stayed where she was. The two guards pointed their Blasters at Jack.

“At ease boys, I’m here to investigate the disappearing Zapfish.”

“This area is maximum security. We are under orders not to let anyone through. I don’t know how you got in here, but we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”

Jack reached into his left pocket. He pulled out a piece of leather, folded in half. He opened it to reveal a silver badge. “I think you misunderstand. My name is Detective Akira Kurusu, and I have been called in to investigate the disappearing Zapfish. I suggest you let me past.”

The guards put down their weapons and moved aside. Jack whistled in Three’s direction. She walked up to the entrance, where Jack introduced her as his apprentice. They entered the building without further delay.

“Detective Akira Kurusu?” Asked Three.

“Yup. I had a friend who was one. He taught me about investigation. The name was another fake name, like Jack. I have quite a few that I use in different circumstances.”

Three nodded. This guy just kept getting weirder and weirder. They walked through the Power Plant until they came across the water tank where a few yellow Zapfish swam. They swam away from the duo as they approached.

“They’re scared,” said Jack. “They no doubt saw the thieves taking their siblings.”

Several other tanks had been broken, and hastily replaced with new glass. The remaining Zapfish had been divided between the tanks, the natural energy they gave off collected and transferred into electricity. The collection room was large, containing fifty large tanks in total, each tank normally housing over 20 Zapfish. But now each tank had only four or five. The duo began investigating. They turned a corner and heard voices. They realized that they weren’t alone.

“It had to be them,” said an energetic-sounding voice. “No one else would plan something this large.”

“But why now?” Asked a muffled-sounding voice. “They’ve been underground for years.”

“Look! Purple ink. It had to be them.”

“I’m still not sure. They could start another war like this. Even he wouldn’t be that stupid.”

Three peeked around the corner. Two female-sounding figures were knelt down on the ground, studying several splotches of purple ink on the ground. They were dressed almost identically, with yellow hoodies and black track pants. They had big black boots, with neon orange markings. They had yellow tentacles. One of them had her long tied up in a long ponytail, the other had short hair hanging messily at the sides of her head. Through the reflective glass of the tanks, Three could see their faces. The ponytail girl had a pair of large sunglasses covering her eyes. The other had a pair of black goggles, and a surgeons mask covering her mouth and nose. The ponytail girl had a strange-looking roller strapped to her back, and the goggles girl had an unusually shaped Charger at her side.

Jack walked past the corner. “Well well well, It appears I’m not the only one investigating the missing Zapfish.”

The two girls were caught off guard and turned to look at Jack.

“Who the heck are you?” Asked ponytail girl.

“Doesn’t matter,” said goggles girl. “We need to get out of here!”

The duo took off running. Jack and Three ran after them. They jumped through another explosion hole in the wall, similarly shaped to the one in the roof. Jack and Three chased the duo around the catwalks, eventually coming to the hole they entered through. Goggles girl raised her charger and pointed it up out of the hole. Ponytail girl grabbed her companion’s arm. Goggles girl’s charger shot at a nearby building, and where it hit a glowing orb appeared. The charger was pulled towards the orb, pulling the two out. They landed on a fire escape and began climbing the stairs to the top of the building.

“Darn it,” said Three. “They’re getting away!”

“Don’t worry. Those two have piqued my curiosity. We’re following them. Besides, it’s not every day I got to use the grapple gun.”

“Wait, did you just say grapple gun?”

Jack reached into his backpack and pulled out a black gun with an anchor shape in the end. Jack put his arm around Three and shot the grapple towards the fire escape the other duo were climbing. Jack and Three were pulled up and out of the Power Plant and landed on the fire escape several feet behind their quarry.

“Dang, that’s cool!” Said ponytail girl. “Why don’t I get a grapple gun?”

Her companion started running faster. “You don’t get one because you can’t shoot straight. Now come on!”

The two duos continued the chase. They soon reached the top of the building. Goggles girl shot her grapple towards the next building. Jack was a bit smarter with his grappling, however. There was a large metal pole stretching between the two buildings, where people often practiced tightrope walking. There was a smaller pole sticking through the middle of the larger one, and Jack aimed for it. Grabbing Three once again, they swung across, their momentum launching them into the air. Jack released the grapple, loading another one mid-air and pointing it ahead of the other duo. They landed a few feet in front of them.

At first, the yellow-garbed duo was stunned by the sudden appearance of Jack and Three. Then they turned around and started running again.

“Wait!” Three called out. “We just want to know what you had discovered about the Zapfish’s disappearance! We’re trying to figure it out too!”

Ponytail girl stopped. “That’s all?”

Goggles girl grabbed her arm. “We have to go! We have to be you-know-where in fifteen minutes!”

“But they just want to know what we discovered! Maybe they can help?”

“What’s the point of a _secret_ organization if you just go about telling every grapple gun throwing clown you encounter?”

“I’d be insulted,” Jack said, “but that’s actually pretty accurate.”

Goggles girl sighed. “We’ve already said too much.” They were near Inkopolis Plaza. Goggles girl turned to Jack and Three and pointed towards a circle of grating near Inkopolis Tower. “If you want answers, then head down that grate tomorrow. Talk to the old dude. That’s all we’ll say for now.”

The two bolted off again, jumping down from the building and eventually disappearing.

“Well…” said Three. “That happened.”

“You want to check out that grate they mentioned?”

“Maybe…” Three trailed off. (What have I gotten myself into?) she asked herself. (Secret organizations? Strange girls, who hide their identities? Guys with fake names and grapple guns in their backpacks?) One thing was for sure. She was in for one heck of an adventure.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

The Captain of the 1st Legion in the Octarian Army marched in front of a group consisting of himself, his two Commanders Elisha and Undine, and the six Elites currently under his supervision. They had travelled from their base of operations at Mount Nantai to the headquarters of their leader, the fearsome General Octavio. The nine Octolings had been summoned by the General himself. They soon arrived in the large room where the General gave personal orders to his loyal troops. There was silence in the room as the two Commanders and six elites formed ranks around their Captain.

The silence was broken by the booming, strong voice of General Octavio. “Do you know why I called you here?”

The Captain spoke. “No, sir.”

“I called you here to congratulate you on your successful capture of the Great Zapfish. What’s your name?”

“Captain Greyfish of the 1st Legion, sir.”

\--------------------

Three woke up early the following morning. She was out the door in fifteen minutes, followed closely by Jack. It normally took her about an hour to wake up, but secret organizations worked wonders on morning schedules. It took another fifteen minutes to reach Inkopolis Plaza. The Plaza was almost barren, most of the shops had not even opened yet. The duo walked over to the manhole that they had been directed to. Three changed form, her body shrinking into the form of a green squid. Waved for Jack to follow was she moved closer to the grate.

“Does it unscrew?” Jack asked.

“Just go into squid form and slip through.” Replied Three.

“Uhh… I’d rather not… I have a slight… er… defect with my squid form.”

Three looked down the circular grate. Instead of leading to the sewer system, it funnelled into a thin pipe, to small for an Inkling unless they were in squid form. Three reverted to normal.

“Sorry, it looks like you won’t be able to go down. You won’t fit.”

Jack sighed. “You go on. But I expect you to tell me what happens down there!”

Three turned to squid form and flowed through the grate, her liquidy body moving around the crisscrossing bars. She was then sucked through the pipe, as through a vacuum was on the other side. Only a minute later, she was ejected out the end, pushing through another grate. She transformed back to Inkling form, standing on top of the grate she had just been launched through. She looked around to get her bearings. She was standing on what seemed like a rocky platform, bits of grass decorating the grey surface. The platform was surrounded by stone structures in the distance, separated by a deep chasm. There was a building of some sort in front of her, the front surface covered in pictures of strange creatures resembling octopus tentacles. Three heard sounds coming from the wooden building and slowly moved around it to investigate. She had barely moved when a figure walked out from inside.

He was very old, his age showing in his bent form, his hand resting on a bamboo walking staff. He a large group of white tentacles forming a beard, and he had a blue captain’s cap with a tentacle ponytail sticking out a hole on the top. He wore a tattered vest, with several war medals on the chest.

“Who goes there?” He asked, in a raspy voice.

Three wasn’t sure how to react. “Um… me?”

“And who’re you?”

“Well… people call me Three, so…”

“What are you doin’ down here?”

“Me and my friend were investigating the Great Zapfish’s disappearance, and these two ladies in yellow costumes told me to go down a vent to help find it.”

“Oh. Welp, that explains everything now.”

“Really?”

“Of course! They must have sent you down to help save the world. They’re very busy with their normal lives, almost no time for hero work. I’m glad I finally have some help.”

“Wait, save the world?”

“I’ll start from the beginning. You’ve probably been told about the Great Turf War, right? The one we fought against the Octarian Menace? Well, the Octarians are back, and they’re out for revenge. Those rascals stole the Great Zapfish from right under my nose, and now it’s my job to go get it back while keeping the rest of Inkopolis oblivious to the threat under their feet.”

“And you are?”

“Captain Cuttlefish, the leader of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Those two who lead you here were Agent 1 and Agent 2.”

“So what will I be doing, if I were to join this… New Squidbeak Splatoon?”

“You’ll be equipped with custom weaponry, and sent into the Octarian lairs to take back the Zapfish held captive there. You’ll also be looking for clues to the location of the Great Zapfish, so you can return it to Inkopolis before it’s too late!”

Three thought for a few minutes. She wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery. She also wanted to do _something_ with her life. She made her decision.

“What’s my first mission, Captain?”

\--------------------

Three was directed to a machine shaped like a kettle with a grate on top. According to the Captain, the Octarians used them to travel between their underground lairs. As Three entered, she was quickly pulled to the other end of a long pipe, similar to the way she had come from Inkopolis. She was ejected out the other end, landing on a platform similar to the spawn points used in Turf War. Looking around, she discovered that she was in a huge cave, with panels on the wall mimicking a cloudy sky and a giant bulb hanging from the roof that shone like the sun. There were many tall skyscrapers in the area, and the flat roofs were occupied by strange octopus creatures. They looked like single tentacles, but they had big green eyes, purple mouths, and tiny legs and feet. They stood atop round metal devices, their tentacle grabbing a large control stick to steer their vehicle. Their vehicles had nozzles on the front, and they sprayed purple ink. In the distance, Three could see something that resembled a lightbulb; and she realized that it was a Zapfish trapped inside a forcefield!

According to the Captain, Three’s objective was to reach the Zapfish, cutting through the Octarian hordes in the process. Three walked off the spawn point platform, readying her weapon. She had brought her N-ZAP with her, though it’s special was unusable outside of a Turf War arena. Walking ahead, she spotted a circular pool of green ink, the same colour as hers. She inked the ground around it, then sank into her squid form. She submerged in the ink, swimming through it like water. She swam into the round pool and suddenly was launched into the sky. She landed on a nearby platform, on top of a different building. Two Octarians were standing guard, blocking off the path behind them. There was a large collection of wooden boxes surrounding them. Three crouched behind the boxes, using them for cover. Then she aimed her trusted weapon at her opponents and fired. The Octarian duo barely had time to react before they combusted into green ink. Some of the boxes were caught in the explosion, and they smashed apart, revealing small orange balls. Three grabbed them, deciding to ask the Captain about them later. She spotted a curved ramp ahead, leading to another launchpad. She used her N-ZAP to cover it with ink and then swam up the otherwise too steep ramp.

The launchpad took her to another platform, closer to the Zapfish. Here, her path was blocked by an Octarian with a shield on his platform. The shield would block any of Three’s shot, so she needed a plan to take him out. She dashed forwards, inking the ground around him while he shot balls of purple ink at her. She then retreated, leaving the Octarian confident in his victory. But Three slipped into the green ink, moving so slowly that her movement was virtually invisible. She emerged behind him, turning him into another explosion of green ink. The launchpad behind him took Three to a larger platform, and next to the spawn point she landed on was a large metal cylinder. There was a large picture of a key on the metal, and Three came to the logical conclusion that the cylinder would open if she found a key for it. She soon found the key, and she used it to unlock the vault. The vault was hiding another launchpad. The launchpad took her to the final platform where the Zapfish was help on top of a glass structure. The launchpad was under another vault, and the key was guarded by more Octarians. She speedily splatted them, then grabbed the key. The vault unlocked, and Three was launched up to the Zapfish. She pushed through the forcefield, pulling the Zapfish out.

Three made her way back to the kettle, her mission accomplished.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

Three walked through the door to her living room, searching for Jack. He was laying on the top of one of the couches, stretched out like a cat. He was playing one of his favourite games, an old human game where you caught monsters and trained them to fight other monsters and other monster trainers. Three had never played any of the games herself, but she liked a lot of the monster designs. Jack was in the middle of fighting a giant raccoon that stood on its hind legs with a flying orange dragon. Jack was too distracted by his game to notice Three walking behind him. He threw one of his capture balls at the raccoon, attempting to catch it. However, it escaped. Text at the bottom screen read: (Obstagoon used Double-Edge.) The raccoon slammed into Jack’s dragon, dealing a bunch of damage. Then it lost the bit of health it had left. The text read: (Obstagoon fainted!)

“Not again!” Jack yelled. He then noticed his spectator.

“What’s with the raccoon dude?” Three questioned.

“I have to catch an Obstagoon so I can give it to a dude in Spikemuth. He says he’ll trade one for a…”

Jack stopped when he noticed the look of utter confusion on Three’s face. He decided a change of subject was in order. “So… how did that secret organization thing go? Was it… _grate_?”

Three facepalmed. “It was… certainly interesting.”

Three told Jack about her trip to the Octarian lairs. He listened intently, his game’s screen dimming. By the time Three had finished retelling her experience, the console had entered sleep mode.

“I’m jealous, you get to go on an epic adventure while I’m stuck in the sidelines because of my defect.”

“What is this defect you keep telling me about?”

“It’s… um… well… It’s complicated, happened years ago. Not supposed to tell people about it. Forget I even mentioned it.”

“Is it related to the fact you always wear a glove?”

“…maybe…” He changed the subject. “What’s your next mission?”

“I’m not sure. The Captain just said that he’d tell me when I show up tomorrow.”

Three was exhausted. She headed off to bed while Jack turned his game back on.

\--------------------

Three awoke in a black void. (I must be dreaming,) she thought. She got out of her bed, which dissipated into grey dust. She was wearing simple white clothes under a green cloak. She felt full of powerful energy, like she could take on a monster from Jack’s game single-handedly. The titanic figure from her last dream appeared in front of her. But it seemed calmer somehow. I radiated a cool energy that made Three feel at ease. Three was able to get a better look at its head, and she then noticed that it resembled the humans she had heard of in reports from historians. It’s left eye was outlined from the rest of the face with a dark silver, and the eye itself was an orange ring on a light blue background. Looking down below her, the entity had no left hand, and the stump seemed burned away by acid. It spoke to her, and it sounded similar to the English voices she had heard from Jack’s anime. But she could understand what the words meant, in a way that could only be explained by dream logic.

“Beware the shadows of Chaos.”

“The what?” Three asked.

“Find his follower. The undersea train leads to his plan. The Captain becomes the General when the heroes are imprisoned. The voice of the tests will speak the truth. The true darkness is the key. The arcane will be awakened when her soul becomes dark. You will be out of time when the Shield is lost. Hope will come from underground. And his plan comes to fruition and triggers the Anomaly.”

“What? I don’t understand!”

“FIND HIS FOLLOWER, AGENT THREE. YOUR MIGHT WILL PREVENT THE CHAOS FROM RISING. REMEMBER MY PROPHECY. FIND HIS FOLLOWER. WAKE UP THREE. WAKE UP. WAKE UP!”

\--------------------

Three jolted awake. Jack was shaking her, telling her to wake up.

“What happened?” Asked Three, still trying to understand what had just happened. The nine lines of prophecy remained burned in her head.

“You were yelling something,” said Jack worriedly. “You were calling out stuff about chaos and shadows.”

“I need a piece of paper and a pencil,” replied Three. Jack grabbed them and brought them to Three who had gotten out of bed and was standing in front of her desk. She took the paper from Jack and wrote out what she had heard. Jack asked what had happened. Three told him what had happened, and Jack listened intently. When she got to the part about the giant human’s hand and eye, Jack jumped backwards with a shocked look on his face.

“What?” Asked Three.

“You saw the Wandering Shapeshifter?” Jack said.

“Who’s that?”

Jack ran to his room and grabbed something from his backpack. It was a black journal with an orange design on the front. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He showed it to Three. It was a picture of a human with an orange sword fighting a strange being with a grinning theatre mask for a face.

“This is the Wandering Shapeshifter’s final battle against Prince Dimentio,” Jack explained. “Cor SkyBlade was the grandson of Corinthian SkyBlade, one of the first heroes of the Omniverse. Cor’s ancestral abilities allowed him to change his form at will, and he used this power to defeat Dimentio, nephew of King Zerus of the No-Faces. King Zerus was creating a powerful spell that would allow the user to change their position in the Omniverse at will, essentially an instant teleportation ability. Dimentio wanted this power, but Cor defeated him and sealed him away in a Universe contained within a book. But during the battle, Dimentio used his powerful magic to permanently remove Cor’s hand and eye, cursing Cor to never be able to restore them through his shapeshifting powers. As a reward for defeating Dimentio, King Zerus gave the power of Omniversal teleportation to Cor, and he wandered the Omniverse for ten years fighting evil until he settled down to wait until the Gateway Anomaly, when the passages between the Multiverses will be opened.”

“So why would this Cor guy be showing up in my dreams?”

Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. But he told you this, so it must be important. I wonder who the ‘he’ he keeps going on about is.”

“How exactly do you know so much about him?”

“I’ve met a few people who knew him. He’s been to this world before in his travels.”

Three checked the time on her watch. She had slept in, it was almost the time the Captain had told her to meet him at. She headed back to her room to get dressed while Jack toasted some waffles for breakfast. Three dashed out the door and headed to Inkopolis Plaza. She swam through the grate and found herself in Octo Valley once again. The Captain was there, talking with the two yellow-garbed agents Three and Jack had encountered two days before. They soon ran off, and Three approached the Captain.

“Perfect timing, Miss Triad!” Said the Captain. “I just sent Agents 1 and 2 off to save more Zapfish. I have a more important mission for you.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Three.

“It’s not just the Zapfish that were stolen, and that’s what worries me. We need to track down the Great Zapfish, and I need you to do that.”

“Where will I be going?”

“This kinda operation takes multiple steps. We need to find out who specifically is behind the Zapfish kidnapping, and I believe I have a lead on who can tell us that. My intel operative says that we may be able to get some answers out of Octoling Captain Kelly Otome. You’ll be meeting with him around noon, then you’ll infiltrate Captain Kelly’s base. Any questions?”

“None, sir.”

“Perfect! Now, before you head to the rendezvous, I’d like to get you properly equipped for the mission. Follow me, please.”

Captain Cuttlefish lead Three around the back, where a set of clothes and a strange looting weapon were set on a table. The clothes were similar to what the other two agents wore, and the weapon was an experimental fusion of a Shooter and a Charger type weapon. Three was also given a thin Roller that folded up and was stored on her back.

“One more thing, Miss Triad. Since you’re officially joining, you need a better codename than just ‘Three’. From here on out, you’ll be known and referred to as Agent 3.”

\--------------------

Agent 3 arrived at the given address at 11:45. She was expecting a restaurant or a coffee shop. Instead, she was at an arcade. She double-checked the address. Everything checked out. Stepping inside, she was swept with the nostalgia of playing games with Vivian years ago in an arcade not that different from this one. The paint on the walls was peeling off in places, and many of the game machines were outdated by at least five years. The place was almost deserted. The only people were the owner, reading a book at his desk, and Jack, who was playing an emulated Super Mario Bros. in one of the corners. Jack looked up from his game when he heard her enter.

“Ah! Perfect timing, Agent 3! I’m almost done level Eight Four!”

Three was somewhat surprised. “Are you the Intel Agent I was sent to meet?”

Jack bowed from his seat, saying “One and the same. And don’t worry about whispering our secret meeting stuff, Malcolm over there is one of my buddies.”

Three sat down at one of the few tables. Jack soon finished his game and sat down next to her. “So! Let’s talk about secret organizations!”

Three stopped him. “Wait a minute. Since when are you an intelligence operative?”

“Since this morning! I happen to be very good at finding information.”

“yes he is!” Malcolm called out from across the room.

“If you’re so great at finding information out, then why can’t you find out where the Great Zapfish is?”

“I said I was very good, not amazing. I have ONE contact in the Octo Army, and he’s one of the lowest ranks. But if his intel is correct, then Captain Kelly knows the answers we need, and she will be willing to talk. She’s not as loyal as most Octoling Captains are. The objective is to infiltrate her compound, find her, and then give her this.” Jack pulled out a small device with a screen from his pocket. “It has a list of important questions, which will be sent to me. There will also be more important questions listed, which she will tell directly to you. You will then need to escape and make your way back to Octo Valley.”

“Okay.” Three took the device from Jack and put it in her pocket. Jack told her the location of Captain Kelly’s compound, and Three set out, waving goodbye to Jack and Malcolm.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

Agent 3 approached the Octarian Compound, fully equipped for a stealth mission. Her yellow Hero Suit at first stood out against the evening background, but it dimmed to a darker grey colour when Three pressed a button on the collar. Three had the strange Roller strapped across her back, with the Charger-Shooter clipped to her belt. Three was also equipped with a set of Night-vision Goggles and Headphones, designed to maximize her senses of sight and hearing. The Goggles made everything look grey, with the exception being coloured ink, which looked sharper and clearer. The Headphones had specialized microphones on the outside, with controls to dull or intensify the sound her ears received. (Jack would get a kick outta this stuff,) thought Three.

Three moved closer to the thick walls surrounding Captain Kelly’s base. Several conveniently-placed poles were lining the top of the walls. Three unhooked her weapon, switched it to “Grappler” mode, and aimed at one of the poles. She pulled the trigger, and a small sphere was shot, landing a direct hit on the pole’s tip. She was then pulled up to it, allowing her to get over the wall. She kept down the other side, rolling to the side as she landed. She switched her weapon back to “Shooter” mode and made her way to the center f the compound. It was quiet, which made sense given the time. And that’s when she saw them. They were far different from what Three had been expecting. Instead of the Octarians she had seen before, the “Octolings” she had been told about looked almost exactly like Squidlings, save for their strange hair that logically resembled octopus tentacles. There were two sitting behind a building, wearing large metal goggles and shiny silver armour over their chest. They were both girls, and they seemed to be talking in a slightly different dialect of Inklish. She could only make out a few words, and they didn’t help her understand their conversation. She was able to draw a pair of names, however. The taller of the two was called Cassidy, and the shorter was Kairi. Three could have watched them for a while longer, but she had a mission. She crept past them, moving towards a building Jack had identified as containing Captain Kelly’s quarters.

Three used her grappler to climb to the top of the building, where she found a conveniently unfastened window to climb through. She crept through the hallways, using her headphones to listen for any approaching Octolings. She eventually found a door labelled “Captain’s Office” and stuck her microphone the door at the highest volume. There was no sound, so Three assumed the coast was clear and slipped under the door in squid form. She came up on the other side, where she found a desk and chair that belonged to Captain Kelly. Three took Jack’s device from her pocket and placed it on the desk. She then climbed a nearby bookshelf in squid form, hiding in the several-inch wide gap between the top of the bookshelf and the ceiling. A few minutes later, the door opened and an Octolings walked through. Unlike the others she had seen, Kelly wasn’t wearing any goggles, causing her brown eyes to be completely visible. Kelly walked over to the desk, where she noticed the device. She picked it up, reading the message displayed on the screen. Three had written “I want to talk, don’t scream” on it, having decided to talk directly to Kelly instead of just dropping off the device and leaving.

Three shimmied out of her hiding spot, landing on the floor next to Kelly. Kelly was startled but didn’t scream. Three morphed back to Inkling form, her weapon clipped to her belt once again.

“I heard rumours that you aren’t as loyal to the Octarians as you could be,” said Three.

Kelly looked confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well excuse me for wanting to say something other than ‘apparently our intel agent says you’re potentially willing to share top-secret information about the location of the Great Zapfish with us’ when we first meet.”

“Who are you?”

Three sighed. “I’m Agent 3, member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. I was sent because as previously mentioned, we have intel that you know who exactly stole the Great Zapfish, and are likely to be willing to tell us where it is. Our intel agent also has a series of other questions, which are on the device I placed on your desk.”

“We don’t have much time then. General Octavio has been given the Great Zapfish and is planning to use it to power something important. Captain Greyfish was the one who carried out the mission, and he’s the only one Octavio trusts with the location of his lair.”

“Got it. One more question, why are you so willing to help us?”

Kelly turned away from Three and grabbed a box from the bookshelf. It contained a pair of goggles like she had seen on the other Octolings. “Octavio wasn’t always the General of the Octarian army. He used to be just a brilliant leader named DJ Octavio, who created a device that would hypnotize people and force them to follow his commands. He called this device the HypnoGoggles. He used an early version of them on Octerald, the previous General, to make him hand over the title. Octavio then went on to lead the Octarians in the Great Turf War against the Squidlings, against the wishes of King Octurus. After the war was lost, Octavio and his followers were exiled, including me. He used his talk about regaining the Surface to entice me to his side, making me one of four Captains. He then unleashed the finished versions of the HypnoGoggles to capture most of the peaceful Octolings in the city to become his army. I was opposed to this, but I was ignored. Now I want to see Octavio defeated, hoping that perhaps things can return to the way they once were.”

Three was silent. “So those soldiers I saw on my way here, and the two talking behind the barracks… they were all innocent civilians turned into brainwashed killing machines?”

“Yes. There’s no positive way to spin it. Please, defeat Octavio for us and save our people. I’ll help in any way I can.”

“You got it. I’ll talk to our intel agent and see if we can track down this base of Octavio’s. And I promise that I will do everything in my power to destroy those HypnoGoggles.”

“Thank you. Now you’d better leave before someone else discovers your presence.”

Three left out the window that Kelly opened for her, and she made her way out of the compound with a new sense of resolve. As she made her way to the outer wall, she saw the Octoling named Cassidy. (Could she really be an innocent corrupted by a pair of evil goggles?) she asked herself. She made her way over the wall band headed back to Inkopolis.

\--------------------

Kelly slipped the device into her uniform. The door behind her opened to reveal another goggle-less Octoling with his four tentacles swept back over his head and purple eyes.

“Good evening, Captain Kelly. How have things been since my last… visit?”

“What do you want? I have important paperwork to fill out.”

“Two things. One, I have direct orders from the General. He wants Kairi and Cassidy relocated to my compound.”

“Why?”

“Personal reasons. He wants me to keep a closer eye on them.”

“What’s the other thing?”

“I would like to know all about this “Agent 3” you have been talking to.”

Kelly’s hearts froze. “What do you mean?”

The other Captain walked up closer to Kelly. “Don’t play dumb with me, Miss Otome. I would say that I can’t believe you’re conspiring with the enemy, but it honestly doesn’t surprise me much. I must thank you however, you’ve made for some excellent bait. But I don’t need you anymore. You are under arrest. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go prepare for Miss Three’s inevitable visit to my lair.”

He walked out the door, where four Octoling Elites were standing. “Detain her,” he said.

“Yes sir, Captain Greyfish.”

Two hours later, Greyfish was in his personal quarters at his Mount Nantai lair. He stepped into a side room, about the size of a walk-in closet. No one knew what he used the room for, and the cleaners always found it empty. But it wasn’t.

“Thank you, my lord. It seems like your tip about Kelly Otome’s treachery was correct, as you always are. Miss Triad will be here soon. Our plan is proceeding smoothly. Your return will be a triumphant one, my lord.”

\--------------------

Agent 3 met up with Jack at the arcade. She told him what she had found out.

“This is good. We now have an advantage. Or, we would.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember that device you gave her? Like I told you, it’s linked to my computer, allowing us to send messages back and forth. Just a short while before you arrived, I received this message.”

He opened an app on his laptop, and read the message out loud. “Greyfish heard our conversation and has arrested me. He doesn’t seem to know about the device. He’s waiting at his lair at Mount Nantai for you. Don’t worry about me, I’ll continue to share info for as long as I can. You must find Greyfish!”

“Does she know where Greyfish is?”

“I asked her about that. And other than the general location of Mount Nantai, she has no idea where it is specifically. However, I think I may have an idea as to where it is.”

“Where?”

“Remember when you told me about your trip to Mount Nantai with Colvin and Vivian?”

Three nodded.

“Maybe… Vivian’s accident…”

“Was… no accident?”

“You were taking pictures on that bridge, right? Maybe they were attempting to silence you because the entrance to his lair was there.”

Three thought about it. The scary thing was… it made sense. She pulled out her phone and looked through the pictures. Jack pointed out a strange octopus-shaped carving on one of the cliff walls.

Three realized something. “But if your theory is true, which it appears to be, that means…”

“Captain Greyfish is directly responsible for the near-death of Vivian.”

A fire started burning in Three’s mind. Greyfish wasn’t under mind control. He acted with the intent of killing someone with a clear head and no obligation. Three viewed people like that as monsters lower than any other criminal. The fire turned into a solid Determination to make Greyfish pay for his actions. But first, she had to get to him.

“Let’s go,” Three said.

“Me too?” Jack asked.

“Of course. He knows we’re coming. We’re not going to sneak into his lair. We’re going to raid it. And I know you’re the kind of person I want by my side on this mission. What do you say… Agent Jack?”

“I say… I think I’d like Agent 64 better. My favourite number, you know?”

\--------------------

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Mount Nantai. They found the octopus marking next to the still collapsed bridge. Jack investigated and identified a secret door. The only problem was, they didn’t know how to get in.

“What do you suggest, Three?”

“Why don’t you knock?”

A devious grin spread across Jack’s face. “Oh, I’ll knock all right.” He reached deep into his backpack and pulled out a strange metal contraption. It was flat on one end and had a space large enough for a hand on the other. Jack stuck his hand inside.

“Thought it would be a good idea to bring this guy along.” He put the flat end to where the door was and flicked a switch on the top. The flat end started to glow, and then Jack pulled it back and punched the door, causing it to collapse. There was a loud knocking sound as the former secret door became rubble on the floor.

“Knock knock,” Jack said.

“Who’s there?” Three answered.

“Awesome.”

“Awesome who?”

“Awesome us!”

The two laughed as Jack stowed his device and they entered the long hallways behind the door. Three grabbed the Roller off her back, holding it like a sword. Jack held out his right hand and a white sword materialized.

“It’s magic,” Jack explained. “Anyone who touches this thing loses energy and their will to fight us. Does no physical damage. The Monsters used this kind of magic to duel back before the Flood.”  
Three made a mental note to ask Jack to teach her how to use it as they passed endless hallways of empty rooms behind unlocked doors. Five minutes later, they reached a dead end. A sturdy metal door was blocking their path. There was a panel at the side. There was only one button. Jack pressed it.

{Unidentified Lifeforms. Speak Password Sequence.}

“What?” Three asked.

{Unidentified Lifeforms. Speak Password Sequence.}

“We forgot,” said Jack hopefully. “Are there any hints to help us remember?”

{Terrible Lie Detected. No Hints Programmed. Good Day To You.}

Jack shrugged. “That could have been worse. Let’s put my hacking skills to use.”

Jack reached into his backpack and produced his laptop. He opened it and typed something in. “I’m remotely accessing the program. The encryption is weak, I don’t think he was expecting we’d pull something like this.” He let out a laugh. “Never mind. This encryption code was clearly written by an amateur. He even wrote his name in a comment like a signature.”

Jack closed his laptop and pressed the button.

{Unidentified Lifeforms. Speak Password Sequence.}

“The seal of the God of Chaos shall open, and his sealer shall know his wrath.”

{Password Sequence Accepted. Lifeforms Registered In Database.}

“What do you think the code meant about a God of Chaos?”

Jack shrugged. “Maybe Greyfish is a poet? Or maybe he read it in some story or something.”

The door opened, showing a pitch-black room beyond. The lights flickered on. To reveal the legions of Octoling Troopers with their Octoshots aimed at the intruders.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

The Octolings aimed their Octoshots at the intruders. Jack grinned. He pointed his sword like an overdramatic anime protagonist.

“Finally… some somewhat even odds!”

He charged forwards, his sword becoming an arc of light as he swung it at his adversaries. As his blade hit the Octoling Troopers, they fell backwards, unscathed.

“Nevermind, these are nowhere near fair odds! What kind of training have these low-HP minions been receiving?”

Three followed Jack into battle, her Roller slashing forwards, mimicking Jack’s movements, but not his speed. It only took the duo five minutes to wipe the floor with Greyfish’s minions.

“Alright!” Jack hollered. “I’m really getting going now! That Greyfish guy is gonna be real sorry he messed with us!”

Three laughed. Even though she hadn’t known Jack for that long, she could already feel a strong bond between them. As they fought together, they were like one force. Many things about him confused her, but that didn’t stop her from feeling a sense of kinship when she thought of him. She wouldn’t be too surprised if they turned out to be long-lost second cousins.

Three’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise coming from a nearby room. Three walked towards the sound, kicking down any doors in her path. The sound was coming from a giant metal cube. It was in the middle of a platform suspended in midair, requiring a launchpad to reach it. A Zapfish was being lowered towards the cube.

“You head over and grab the Zapfish,” Jack suggested. “I’ll scout ahead and see if I can find Greyfish, then I’ll let you know so we can take him together.”

“Good idea.” Three swam into the launchpad, which shot her through the air to the platform. She landed at the edge, facing the cube. The Zapfish was lowed down to its top… where an octopus tentacle emerged, grabbing the Zapfish and pulling it in! Electricity began to shoot from the cube, as it fell backwards onto a pair of stubby legs. On the side that had been concealed by the floor, a giant purple face stared at Three. It roared, charging towards her like a bull sighting a red flag!

Three dashed to the side as the creature flew towards her faster than it’s tiny legs should be able to carry it. When it came to where she had just been standing, it kept into the air and slammed face-down on the ground. The tentacle emerged from it’s back, and Three caught a glimpse of a lime green X shape on it. (Perhaps the tentacle is a weak point?) Thought Three. (But how do I reach it… maybe the sides can be inked?) Three aimed her Shooter at the cube, covering the metal plates the made up its sides with dark green ink, her favourite colour. She swam up the side, take it out her Roller and going all-out on the tentacle emerging from the cube’s back. It suddenly retracted, and the cube began to rumble. Three leapt off it’s back as it rose, turning to face her a second time.

But Three was ready. She moved to the side, spraying a climbing line on its side as it dashed past her. She practically flew up the cube, whipping out her Roller and slashing at the tentacle like a cat attacking a dangling string. The tentacle exploded, and Three was thrown off as the entire cube detonated. The single Zapfish floated to the ground, which had been covered in green ink. She walked over to the Zapfish, picking it up and placing it in her backpack, where it cuddled up among the extra gear and fell asleep. Three ran towards the exit, where a launchpad had appeared to take her off the platform.

\--------------------

“Oh, so you are approaching me?” Greyfish asked the eyepatched figure.

Jack grinned “How can I give you a bad time without getting closer?”

“Then come as close as you want, mage. Your magic doesn’t scare me.”

“Mage, huh? Aren’t many people brave enough to use that name. I usually hear demon or monster. Glad to see someone respects the powers of magic and those who wield it.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I respect mages and anyone who can control the powers of chaos. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to pound you into the ground for opposing the plans of my master.”

Greyfish raised his right hand. A golden ring on his pointer finger gleamed in the dim light. It suddenly flashed, changing shape into a golden sword in the Octoling Captain’s hand. Jack’s eye widened.

“Do you recognize this weapon, mage?”

“Like a rabbit recognizing a wolf. What magic wielder wouldn’t recognize a Kronos Artifact?”

“Indeed. I found this weapon, the Kronos Sword of Strength, and immediately took it to give it purpose under my master.”

“Then, as is my duty as an agent of Creation, I am obligated to defeat you.”

Jack’s eye burned neon orange, and swords of pure white energy materialized behind him. Greyfish brandished his sword, ready to deflect the projectiles. Jack thrust his hand forwards, and the attacks swarmed towards Greyfish. Greyfish slashed at them with the sword, causing them to dissipate into dust. Greyfish ran at Jack, raising the sword overhead to bring it down on the mage. Jack stood still as the sword ran straight through his body. Greyfish’s eyes widened.

“The Sword of Strength is powerful, but you lack the technique to properly wield it. The damage you dealt me is minimal. Allow me to educate you on true magic mastery.”

Jack’s eye became a burning ball of energy. An orange light shone through his eyepatch. His tentacles rose as if a strong wind was blowing them upwards. Jack began to radiate magic energy, forming an orange aura around him. He raised his open hands, pointing straight forward with the palms facing down. Twin magic circles appeared under his hands, filled with mysterious symbols from an unknown language.

“Creation Magic: Totality Beam!” Jack shouted, bringing his hands together so that the magic circles touched. The orange light surrounding him was pulled into the magic circles, swirling around Jack’s hands. When all the light was gathered, Jack opened his hands, facing the palms at Greyfish. Two breams of light shot out from the middle of the circles, fusing into one beam of neon orange energy that pieced Greyfish. Greyfish felt his energy sapping away, the Sword of Strength turning back into a ring. The beams vanished, and Greyfish fell to the ground.

“I have travelled for a very long time, and I learned a valuable lesson on my journeys. A good battle is a fast one. If you can’t fell your opponent in one attack, any following victory is hollow. ”

Greyfish lifted his head to look at Jack. He grinned. “What is your name, mage?”

“One’s name is their identity. Mine is secret. People call me Jack, so you may call me that as well.”

“Well then, Jack. You have clearly defeated me. But you have only won this battle. The war is still undecided. As I speak, my minions are stealing the remaining Zapfish, in addition to the former Captain of the Squidbeak Splatoon. Once General Octavio’s weapon is complete, Inkopolis will be crushed and we shall finally take back the surface.”

Just then, Agent 3 ran into the room. “What happened here?”

Jack turned to her. “There’s no time. The Octarians have abducted the remaining Zapfish, and they’ve taken Captain Cuttlefish prisoner as well. I think I have a lead on the location of General Octavio’s lair, and we have to get there before he finishes a weapon that will wipe out Inkopolis!”

The two made their way out of Greyfish’s lair. As they left, Greyfish got to his feet, a devilish grin on his face. “Perfect. Everything’s falling into place quite nicely.”

\--------------------

When Jack and Three arrived in Inkopolis, they found it in a state of chaos. There was no power anywhere, and the Inklings populating the Plaza were having a mass freak out moment.

“Karrabast!” Jack swore. “This is worse then I thought. The city should have some backup power from some of the old generators, but they won’t last long. We have to hurry.”

The duo ran to the grate, and Three leapt through while Jack went “the long way”. When Three got to Octo Valley, she saw the two yellow Agents who had dragged her into all this. They were standing near where the Captain used to stand, obviously having been waiting for her.

“I just got back from Captain Greyfish’s lair. He says that the remaining Zapfish have been stolen to power some super-weapon to topple Inkopolis. They also took the Captain prisoner.”

The Agent with the Ponytail walked up to Three. “What do you think we should do?” She asked.

“Why are you asking me? I just joined two days ago. You’ve been here longer. I should be asking you that.”

“That’s… an accurate statement. But… even though I’m Agent 1, I’m not a real leader or anything. I just got called that because I joined first. But Gramps saw something in you. When he heard you had looked for the Zapfish yourself, he saw a real hero that we just aren’t. Me and Two are good fighters, but…”

Agent 2 finished the sentence. “… we’re no leaders. Not like Gramps. Not like you.”

Three felt tears running down her face. No one had called her a leader since… Vivian. She could hear Vivian’s voice, the night of their first victory. It was just them, they had done a 2v2 Turf War to practice for when they started their own team. They won by a landslide, and Vivian had credited it to her incredible leadership. Three had always remembered that night every victory she made, until that last match. Three remembered that the Octarians had almost taken Vivian’s life, and is Three didn’t act, they would succeed. Three opened her eyes.

“If we’re going to stop Octavio, we’ll need a plan. First, we need to know where he is. Jack says he has a hunch on his location. Once we get there, Jack will take on the army while we find Octavio’s weapon.”

“How will Jack take on the army?” Agent 1 asked. “I thought he was the knowing things guy? Can he fight?”

“Yeah, he uses magic and stuff. Long story. I’ve seen him fight, the Octarian Army will be no match for him. Anyways, once we find Octavio’s weapon, we have to secure the Zapfish and destroy the weapon before it becomes operational.”

The other two Agents nodded. And as if on cue, Jack arrived, falling from the sky. He panted breathlessly as if he had just run the entire distance between Inkopolis and Octo Valley. Which, as it turns out, he had.

“Stupid… speed magic… taking up so much energy… Sonic never gets… this… tired…” Jack flopped to the ground.

Three rolled her eyes. “Get up, Spellboy.”

“Show some… respect… I could vaporize… your nose… if I wanted to…”

Agent 1 was surprised. “He really can do magic?”

“Peck yeah… nerds…”

Agent 2 raised her hand. “All in favour of renaming him Spellboy raise your hand.”

Three raised her hand, but then remembered what they needed to do. “Jack, you said you knew where Octavio’s lair was, right?”

Jack got to his feet. “Yeah. Captain Kelly has still been feeding me info on the Octarians. I know where to find Octavio’s base. But what are we going to when we get there?”

“How do you feel about fighting an army?”

Jack grinned. “I’m listening…”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

A lone Squidling in a dark blue cloak stood in the subterranean cavern that held General Octavio’s lair. He was surrounded by hundreds of Octarians, ranging from weak Octotroopers to mighty Octoseekers. The only Octoling among them was Captain Horace of the 3rd Legion.

“You dare enter the realm of Lord Octavio?” Captain Horace questioned.

“Well done, Captain. You have eyes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Squidling scum?”

“I mean to imply that your questioning of whether I dare to enter the realm of General Octavio is quite stupid, as anyone with eyes can clearly see that yes, I have entered this realm.”

“I’ll make you eat those words, trash! ATTACK!”

Jack grinned. He pulled the cloak off. His hoodie was unzipped, and it blew in the wind like a cape. “Finally. Time for some real action.”

\--------------------

Agent 3 made her way through the titanic base where General Octavio was creating his super-weapon. The other two Agents had gone to find some way of disabling the security systems. Three passed countless Octarians, all making their way in one direction: that same way she was heading. She checked the digital map Jack had given her that showed the location of the weapon. Eventually, he made it to a large open space, about the size of several Turf War arenas. There was a large floating platform in the middle, similar to the one she fought the Octostomp on, but way bigger. There was a convenient launchpad that lead to the platform. (It’s a little too convenient…) she thought to herself. Still, it was the only path she had. She swam into it, landing on the platform.

The walls opened up. Stadium stands appeared, and on those stands sat thousands of Octolings, all wearing the silver goggles. They were cheering for something, and Three cold tell it wasn’t for her. The middle of the platform opened up. And a giant machine emerged. Agent 3’s first impression was that it roughly resembled an astronaut’s helmet, with it’s rounded shape and open front. It had two rounded cylinders at the sides, with jet thrusters at the back and metal fists at the front. Seated inside the machine was a large octopus, two of his tentacles at the control panel, which resembled a DJ set. Two of his other tentacles were folded like arms, and the other four were inside the machine. In front of the control panel were four large speakers. It hovered in the air, and the Great Zapfish dangled from the bottom.

“Are you General Octavio?” Three asked.

“Correctamundo,” came Octavio’s booming voice. “But I prefer the title ‘DJ Octavio’.”

“On behalf of the residents of Inkopolis, and as a member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, I, Agent 3, shall destroy your weapon and take you into custody for stealing the Zapfish and attempting to destroy Inkopolis.”

“How ‘bout a squish ya into jelly and smash Inkopolis instead? Imma dubstomp ya into oblivion!”

Agent 3 readied her Shooter and prepared for the fight.

\--------------------

Agents 1 & 2 made their way to the security room Jack had marked on the map. It was guarded by a single Octoling, who went down without to much fight.

“Have you got the secret weapon?” One asked Two.

“Sure do. It’ll take some time to download, though.”

“Then let’s get started.”

\--------------------

“Creation Magic: Ink Spear!” A long spike emerged from the magic circle in Jack’s hand, and he mentally swung it at the surrounding army. Any Octarians who touched the attack exploded into orange ink, the same colour as Jack’s tentacles.

“You’re not going to defeat the army of Lord Octavio that easily, monster! You’ll be crushed under our weight!”

“Try me, clown. Creation Magic: Plasma Rain!” Balls of energy rained down on the Octarians. Though their numbers were depleting, more arrived to fill the ranks. But Jack was untouchable. “Is that the best you can do?”

\--------------------

The hospital room was silent, save for the faint beeping of Vivian’s heartrate monitor. Colvin sat beside her bed, refusing to leave her side. (It’s all her fault,) he thought. (I’m glad she’s gone. I never should have let her near my friend in the first place.) Vivian moaned in her sleep. She hadn’t woken up since her accident. She was wearing a full-body cast, with only her head visible. The cast was covered by a thin sheet that lay over the bed. (I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you…)

Colvin remembered when he first met Vivian. They were children, growing up in the same town. Their parents had been good friends, so they had seen each other a lot. When they were twelve, they went to the abandoned mansion on the nearby hill on a dare from some of their friends. That’s when they met the orphan who lived there alone, and they lead her out into the world. She and Vivian grew especially close, and Vivian taught her how to play Turf War. It was a year later when Vivian asked her name. She said she didn’t like her name, because it reminded her of her mom, who had died in a fire. She said her last name was Triad, and that’s what she used. It was Colvin who had given her the nickname “Three”. They left their town and moved to Inkopolis a few years later, starting their own Turf War team soon after. They trained until they could take on a team of four with just the three of them, and Three had named their team after that. Team Triton won countless victories, and after every win, they returned to their small apartment to spend time with each other. They had become a family.

Colvin’s memories were interrupted by Vivian waking up. “What… happened?” She asked.

“The bridge collapsed. You fell. The doctor says… they say that you’ll be paralyzed for life. You’ll never be able to use your arms or legs again.”

“Where’s Three?”

“She’s gone. It’s her fault you nearly died. I don’t want her anywhere near you again.”

Vivian was horrified. “But… she’s our friend…”

“A friend wouldn’t endanger their friend's life.”

“You just said it collapsed! How is that her fault!”

“It’s her fault you were on it in the first place!”

“I can’t believe you. Go away. It’s not her fault. You’re being mean.”

Colvin felt as if he had been shot in the heart. “But-”

“GO! Leave me alone…”

Just then a doctor entered the room. Colvin ran out the door, not stopping until he was back in the apartment. (What have I done?)

\--------------------

The Great Zapfish got pulled into Octavio’s machine.

“With the power of tha Octobot King, Inkopolis is history! You think you can beat me? Imma remix yo face, inksquirt!”

“Try me, Octoslob.” (Oh cod, Jack’s rubbing off on me.)

The left fist vibrated, then launched itself at Three. She dodged it, and it smashed into the ground next to her, connected to the Octobot by a thick metal cord. (I’ll have to fight smart If I want to beat this guy.) The fist retracted, and the other one prepared to fire. As it arced towards Three, she shot it with ink, causing it to change direction and smash into the Octobot King instead.

“EY! Quit it! I just finished this darn thing, I’m not gonna let you wreck it before it wrecks Inkopolis!”

Three grinned. She found the weakness. Two torpedoes launched from the back, homing in on Three. She dodged one and shot the other, and then aimed for the left fist as it fired at her. She shot it back, just like before. Purple ink shot at her from the speakers, and she rolled to the side to dodge it. The right fist launched again. This time, it hit Octavio.

“ARGH! No more mistah nice DJ!”

More torpedoes shot at Three. Shot them down, but almost got squashed by one of the fists. Octavio kept going faster, and the crowd kept getting wilder. (This is getting intense. I’m not sure I can keep up.) Just then, another platform came up beside the one Three and Octavio were fighting on. It was smaller, holding two Inklings. Greyfish was standing next to a chair that Captain Cuttlefish was tied to.

“Greyfish! Can’tcha see I’m fightin’ here? What are ya doin’ interrupting me?”

Greyfish bowed. “Dreadfully sorry, General. I just thought I’d let you know that the weapon is complete. The Citycrusher Beam is complete.”

“It is? Well, attach that thing already! I got a city to crush!”

“Right away, General.”

The top of the platform opened up, and a strange device was lifted up, where it attached to the bottom of the Octobot King. When it attached, it started to glow.

“Nice! Looks like I’ll hafta kill you later, Squid. At least ya get to watch your city die!”

The ceiling opened up, and the Ocotbot King flew out to the surface.

Agent 3 pressed a button on her headphones. “Jack… change of plans. Can you fly?”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, heroes wage war against the forces of evil, no matter what form it takes. Ex-champions, brave fighters, powerful nerds, and lost royalty unite against minions of a mysterious power from a forgotten age.
> 
> Book 1: A retelling of the story of Splatoon 1 and 2, Agent 3 joins the New Squidbeak Splatoon, with Agents 4 and 5 soon to follow. Meanwhile, a Captain of the enemy works against their efforts.

It took a few seconds for Jack to answer. “…No?”

“So you can summon magic swords, move faster than sound, and take on an entire army… but you can’t fly?”

“Well excuse me, princess. I can’t help it if Inklings don’t have wings!”

Three facepalmed. “Octavio has taken off for Inkopolis with some kind of superweapon. Is there any way you can get me up there to fight him off?”

“I might have something… just let me wrap this up.” Jack’s com went silent. Almost a minute later, Jack spoke up again. “I sent something your way. It’s experimental, so try not to damage it too much.”

By this time, Three had made it outside. A machine flew up to her, shaped roughly like a jet that shot out ink. She strapped it to her back and took off towards Octavio.

\--------------------

Greyfish remained in the now empty arena. The Octolings still sat in the stands, watching live footage of General Octavio as he made his way to Inkopolis. Everything was following the plan his master had given him. All that remained was to finish the mage. Captain Cuttlefish struggled in his chair. Greyfish had honestly forgotten about him.

“Struggle all you want, Cuttlefish. Octavio wanted to finish you himself after you’ve watched him destroy Inkopolis.”

“He’ll never win! Agent 3 is probably on her way right now! The New Squidbeak Splatoon will never give up!”

Greyfish laughed. “Believe what you will, old man. I don’t have time to chat. I have a mage to neutralize.” He stood at the side of the platform as it lowered, taking back down while leaving the Squidling Captain behind. When he reached the bottom, he found that Jack was already there.

“Back for more, mage?”

“Took out your wimpy army. Thought I might help Three out by freeing the Captain while she takes out your boss. If you don’t want to get dunked on again, I suggest you move.”

Greyfish grinned. “Not today, Jack.”

Jack raised his right arm, the palm outstretched towards Greyfish. “Creation Magic: Energy Spike!” From the magic circle on Jack’s hand, a thin spike of energy would have made contact with Greyfish in an instant. But it was blocked by a golden blade.

Greyfish had blocked the attack with the Sword of Strength. He charged around the spike towards Jack’s outstretched arm. Greyfish slapped a dark-coloured band onto his arm.

Jack’s eye glowed a sickly purple. Then it closed. When it shakily opened, his orange iris had turned dark blue.

“That’s… not… very nice… of you…” Jack faced his palm towards Greyfish again. “Creation… Magic: Energy… Spike?” Nothing happened. No glowing magic circle. The band changed colour, blending into his skin. “What… did you do?”

Greyfish laughed. “You are powerless, mage! This magic was used over a millennium ago to subdue the Ancient Ones! You’ll never be able to use magic again! There’s no point to me beating you more, I think I’ll just leave you here! Good luck trying to defeat General Octavio without your precious magic!”

Greyfish walked out of the room, laughing to himself. Jack felt himself losing strength. He collapsed, fading out of consciousness.

\--------------------

Equipped with the flight pack, Three began rapidly closing the distance between her and Octavio. Luckily for her, his Octobot King wasn’t the fastest, and it was a long way from Inkopolis. Three had to catch up to Octavio and find a way to destroy the Octobot King before it took out the city. This called for some… non-traditional methods. She had attached her Shooter to her belt, leaving it loosely secured in case she needed to grab it quickly. Once again, she held the Roller like a sword. She planned to attack the Octobot King directly, flying in close and slashing at it like a knight fighting a dragon. It was quite cloudy, and the sun was only just rising. She couldn’t see Octavio’s mech. But it could see her. Her headphones detected the sound of the Octobot King’s punch moments before it flashed past her, grazing left arm. Nothing too serious, just a few scratches. She listened for the sound of the next punch and dodged it, hitting it back at the machine. She followed it, where she found Octavio flying above the cloud level.

“Ya don’t know when to stop, do ya Squidling? I’ll hafta take care of you before I smash your precious city!”

(I’ll have to keep him busy until the other Agents activate the secret weapon,) Three thought to herself. She swooped in, slashing at the side of the Octobot King and leaving a large patch of green ink. It’s fists nearly hit her countless times, but she continued to cover the machine. Octavio unleashed insult after insult, but Three ignored him and kept dodging and inking.

Three activated her headphone’s commlink. “How’s it going over there, you two?”

Agent 2 responded. “It’s taking a while. The computers have started seriously lagging. It’ll still be a few minutes.”

“Keep at it, Two. Jack, how are things going on your end?” There was no response. “Jack?”

\--------------------

“Jack? Jack!” Three shouted on the other end of the comm. Jack shifted, too weak to stand. His breath was heavy. He’d never felt this weak. Heck, he’s never felt weak. He was supposed to be a hero. But he’d never thought he’d see that magic. The vile spell created by a traitor to the Ancient Ones, meant to subdue the mighty True Shapeshifters and rob them of their power. Against such a powerful magic neutralizer, he had never stood a chance. The band on his arm would take away his magic until destroyed, and only weapons with power levels nearing the Kronos Artifacts could break it. (And Three was counting on me to help… what good is a mage with no magic?) Jack struggled to his feet. He recalled a conversation with the wizard who taught him to use his magic.

\--------------------

“Creation Magic: Energy Blitz!” A swarm of orange missiles crashed into a figure made of rock. The stone sculpture was reduced to dust. Jack laughed. “This amazing! I never knew I could use my power like this! No one stands a chance against me!”

A tall man walked behind him. His body was covered by a large brown cloak, and his orange eyes sparkled in the sunset. “Well done. But remember, this magic doesn’t define you. Your magic is part of you, but you can go without it. And sometimes it’s a bit of a pain. Take me for example!”

Jack grinned. His master had told him stories about getting distracted and walking through five houses, completely demolishing them with his powerful abilities.

“Magic is powerful, and it has a lot of uses. But it’s used right when it’s used to protect those you care about. You’re one of the strongest wizards I’ve ever met, so use that power for the right reasons. Set guidelines for yourself, and if you stick to those, you’ll never end up on the wrong side.”

\--------------------

Jack clenched his fists. He had gone without his magic for so long. What did it matter if he lost it? He’d manage. His true strength wasn’t in his powers, it was in his ability to adapt. To roll with the punches. He was a hero. And right now, he was needed.

“Hang on, Captain. I’m on my way.”

\--------------------

The rising sun reflected off Three’s ink, causing it to glow brightly against the clod metal of the Octobot King. Three darted around it, covering it in bright green.

“Stop that, you little insect!” Octavio yelled. Three ignored him. The Octobot King was having trouble staying airborne. Just as Three had guessed, the metal covering it was soaking in the sun, using solar power to fuel it. But it’s attacks were increasing in speed as Octavio diverted more and more power into the weapons.

“Agent 1, what’s the status?”

“We’re almost there. The screens displaying your fight with Octavio are taking up a lot of memory…”

“Is there any way to disable them?”

“There’s no way to shut them of from here. Someone would need to shut them off physically.”

“Leave that to me,” came Jack’s voice.

“Jack!” Three said, relieved. “What happened back there?”

“Long story. I’m heading towards the Captain now, I’ll take out the screens on the way. Even without magic, I can do stuff like this.”

“What do you mean, without magic?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Jack’s line shut off.

“Hey!” Octavio yelled. “Pay attention to me while I’m crushing you!”

Three dodged a double punch from the Octobot King. Her flight pack was losing power. She needed to wrap this up quickly before she turned into a pancake on the ground below her.

\--------------------

Hundreds of Octolings watched the battle, cheering at Octavio’s every insult and punch. Captain Cuttlefish sat tied to his chair, with a clear view of the battle. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him.

“How are you holding up, Captain?”

“That you Jack?”

“One and the same. Allow me to get these strings for you.” Jack pulled a small knife from his pocket. It cut through the thick ropes like butter. Captain Cuttlefish got up and stretched.

“I think I might be getting too old for this kinda stuff.”

“Maybe. But you can still use a weapon, right?”

“Of course! I’d never outgrow my trusty Bamboozler!”

“Great.” Jack reached into his pocket. A ten seconds later, he pulled the Captain’s weapon/walking stick out.

“What took you so long?”

“My magic has been severely weakened. Luckily I can still access my pocket dimension, but it’s a lot smaller now and it takes more time to take things in and out. I doubt it could hold anyone other than me. I’ll have to head in later to get my stuff sorted again…”

“Focus, Jack. We have to stop Octavio before Inkopolis falls!”

“Right. We have to take out those screens that are broadcasting the fight. With them out of the way, we’ll be able to activate… the Secret Weapon.”

Jack handed Captain Cuttlefish his Bamboozler. The Captain aimed at the screens and disabled them with one shot.

“Screens have been disabled, Agent 2. How’s the download going?”

“Good. The download time has been shortened from ten minutes to two. Just hold out a little longer, guys!”

“Was that my granddaughter just now?” Asked the Captain.

“No, that was Agent 2.” Realization hit Jack. “Wait, are you saying that-”

Captain Cuttlefish cut him off. “We got bigger things to worry about, Jack!”

The Octolings that had previously been in the stands were advancing on the two. They didn’t seem all too happy that their show had been cancelled. Jack grabbed a thin Roller from his back. The Captain readied his Bamboozler. (Well Three,) Jack thought. (Hope you’re having better luck than us.)

\--------------------

The Octobot King was losing power fast. General Octavio struggled to keep his creation from falling out of the sky while simultaneously keeping the meddling Squidling away. He hit a button on his control panel, where a record button would have been on a DJ set.

“GREYFISH! Tell me ya got some trump card packed into this thing!”

“There should be a button that releases a swarm of Octocopters, but that’s it.”

“Here I thought you were some genius engineer. Whatever. What’s the status of the base invasion?”

“I took out the mage who challenged our armies, and the Captain is still tied up, last I checked.”

“Well check again! It would be just like Cuttlefish to have an escape plan.”

“I’m very sorry, General. I’m not currently at the base. I’m almost at my Mount. Nantai headquarters.”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?”

“Forgive me, General. I’m merely preparing… a surprise of sorts for when Inkopolis falls.”

“What. Kind. Of. Surprise?”

“Well if I tell you, it’s not a surprise, is it?”

Octavio hung up. Greyfish was so hard to talk to. Octavio rolled his eyes, it was probably something to do with that monster people said he worshipped. Or was it an alien? He honestly didn’t care. All he cared about was that results were produced. He pressed the button Greyfish had indicated. The back of the Octobot King opened, releasing about ten Octarians wearing propeller helmets. They had nozzles on the front for firing ink. They swarmed after Agent 3, who was now to busy dodging them to attack the Octobot King.

A light on the control panel lit up, notifying him of an incoming call. He sighed and pressed the comm button. “What is it now?”

“This is Captain Horace of the 3rd Legion, sir!”

“And what do you want?”

“I just wanted to tell you that… we have a bit of a problem back at the base.”

“WHAT. KIND. OF PROBLEM?”

“The mage freed Cuttlefish, and they shut down the screens streaming your fight. We also overheard them talking to two unknown accomplices who are attempting to download something into the base’s computers.”

“WELL STOP THEM THEN! I'M BUSY!” He hung up. Greyfish was too independent. Horace was too indecisive. Kelly was too treacherous. And June, Captain of the 2nd Legion… she was too forgettable. Octavio wondered how he got anything done with those four.

\--------------------

Kelly sat alone in her cell in Greyfish’s headquarters. No headquarters was the wrong word. It was a fortress. It must be larger than Octavio’s base. Kelly heard rumours about how Greyfish had stumbled upon a complex belonging to a long-dead human scientist organization. Others said it was connected to some lair of a human-created monster that Greyfish had either kicked out or was working with.

Footsteps in the hall brought Kelly out of her musings. She picked up the sounds of three pairs of feet, to unevenly paced to be Octoling soldiers. Coming around the corner was Undine, one of Greyfish’s two Commanders. Following her was Delila and Megan, the two commanders under her and Undine’s sisters. Undine unlocked the glass door that held Kelly in her cell.

“It’s time to go,” said Undine.

“Go where?” Kelly asked, unsure of the meaning.

“Anywhere but here. We might be able to make it to the Mudfish Desert if we’re quick enough.”

“Why? Why are you helping me?”

“This ship is sinking. Octavio’s defeat is certain. And there’s only one person who’d try to salvage the wreckage when that happens.”

“Greyfish?”

Undine nodded. “Working as his Commander was bad enough when Octavio called most of the shots. If Greyfish assumes full power… I don’t even want to think about it. And as a traitor to him, you won’t last long. Neither will my sisters.”

“So we make it to Mudfish. What then?”

“I know about a small town we can hide in until the search for us dies down. Then… we’ll have to see. I hear Calamari Country is a nice place…”

“Perhaps. But first, let's get out of here safely.”

\--------------------

The green bar crawled closer and closer. [15 seconds remaining on download.]

Agent 1 looked up at her partner. “This is it, Marie. Let’s hope Three was right about this.”

“She’s better be, Callie.” Said Agent 2. “If this doesn’t work, everything will be for nothing.”

[Download complete.] Marie began furiously typing, using the hacking skills she had picked up to bypass the security systems in order to play their secret weapon from all the speakers in the base.

The door behind them opened. In walked an Octoling Elite in metallic goggles. “You’re not supposed to be in here,” she said.

“Hold her off, Agent 1! I’m almost done!”

“Got it, Two.” She grabbed her Roller from her back. The Octoling Elite grabbed a weapon shaped like an umbrella from her hip. “What the heck is that?” Agent 1 asked.

“Experimental Weapon Octobrella 8.10. This design is still a work in progress, but it will end your plans quite nicely.”

The Brella and Roller clashed like swords. Agent 1’s Roller was designed for ink coverage, not 1v1 duelling. The Elite masterfully swung the Brella, like an artist painting a canvas.

“Anytime now, Two!”

“Almost… there!” Marie pressed a button on the keyboard and static filled the room as the speakers throughout the base crackled to life. Then the static faded out to reveal the hit song that had started the Squid Sister’s career, the Calamari Inkantation. It was based off of an ancient melody that had been passed down for hundreds of years, and it was said to be a song of freedom that Inkling armies would hear as they defeated their enemies. If any song could break Octavio’s control over the Octolings, it was that one.

The Elite froze, and the lights on the goggles dimmed. They fell off, hitting the ground and shattering. The Elite's eyes were closed, and she rubbed them groggily. “What…”

Callie hugged her cousin. “It worked!”

\--------------------

Jack and Captain Cuttlefish prepared to fend off the approaching horde. Then the music played, and the approaching Octolings were stunned. The ones wearing goggles collapsed, while the few in the crowd without goggles began screaming in agony.

“It worked!” Jack yelled.

“That’s my granddaughters for you!” Said the Captain.

\--------------------

In the stands on the edge of the arena, two goggled Octolings sat watching the events unfolding. They were unfazed by the music. The taller of the two took off her goggles like she was taking off sunglasses. “Let’s pretend that it affected us too. Then maybe Greyfish won’t get too suspicions of us.”

The other took hers off as well. “Okay. What do you think is going to happen?”

“…I don’t know, Kairi. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Kairi hugged her companion. “We’ll see together, right Cassidy?”

Cassidy patted Kairi’s head. “Of course. As long as we’re together, Greyfish can’t do anything to us. It won’t be too long before we can escape.”

“Okay. I’m glad you’re my cousin.”

“I’m glad too.”

\--------------------

The music even reached the speakers on the Octobot King.

“WHAT’S THIS TRASH?” Octavio yelled. It banged around in his head, giving him a headache. He tried to focus on the Squidling flying around his machine. She was… flying straight for him. (What the…) He was suddenly rammed by a Roller. The Octobot King shot backwards, and then lost all power and began falling at an alarming rate. Octavio was losing consciousness. “Cross-fade to black…” he said, as he lost contact with reality.

\--------------------

Two Days Later, At The Triad Mansion

Callie lay on the couch, fast asleep. Jack was right above her, sleeping on the top edge and somehow not falling off. Marie sat in the corner, reading a book. Captain Cuttlefish was sitting meditatively in one of the armchairs. Three walked in, causing Jack to wake up and fall on Callie. After he got off her, he walked up to Three.

“So, any word about Greyfish?”

“No. Octavio isn’t willing to talk. I’ve handed him over to King Octurus, he was more than happy to have him locked up. He too is concerned about Greyfish’s disappearance. I check his lair, it appears to be completely abandoned.”

“That’s good. If he’s making himself scarce, he’s not causing any trouble. When he raises his head out of his den, we’ll be able to snatch him like a bird grabbing a worm.”

Three was silent.

“Okay… not my best analogy, but it could have been worse. How’s Vivian?”

“She’s doing better. Haven’t heard from Colvin though…”

“Give him some time. He’ll come back. Sometimes it’s best to let time heal. Now how about we celebrate our victory for real?”

Three grinned. Though Octavio was defeated, she felt that her adventures with her new friends were only just beginning.

\--------------------

A small town sat in the middle of the Mudfish desert, connected to the rest of the world by a single railroad track to Inkopolis. As the train pulled into the station, a yellow-haired Inkling watched. She was waiting for her cousin, who had an apartment in the city. As she watched the passengers leaving the train, four tall strangers caught her eye. They didn’t have the same tentacles as the Inklings she was used too. They didn’t wear the same clothes as the folk from Inkopolis either. She walked over to them, asking where they were from.

“We’re from a bit further away than Inkopolis,” said one of them. “We’re looking for a place to stay.”

The Inkling smiled and invited them to her house. The large building she lived in had been very empty since her cousin’s family had moved away, with just her parents and two siblings.

“Thank you so much, Miss…”

“Corana,” she said. “Corana Al’Retornya.”

\--------------------

Greyfish sat at the end of an eight-seated table, deep in thought. The other seats were empty, save for a strange object shaped like an old-school telephone. Suddenly a voice echoed through the room, having no direct source.

“What happened, Greyfish?” the voice boomed.

“I’m sorry my lord,” Greyfish said with tears in his eyes. “It’s my fault, I should have kept a closer eye in the mage and his allies. I take full responsibility.”

The voice laughed. “It doesn’t matter. That kind of destruction would not have produced nearly enough chaos energy to bring me back to full power. It was to be a test of the weapon before we moved on to the main plan. The fault lies with me. I had not factored the mage’s power into my planning.”

“Th-thank you, my lord. Shall we move on to the next stage of the plan then?”

“Yes. I assume the production of the weapon is coming according to plan, Commander?”

“Yes.” Came the metallic voice of the telephone. “The NILS Cannon is on schedule. It will be completed in under two years, as I calculated. You will hold up your end of the deal, correct?”

“Of course,” said the voice. “You can have this world, while we take the others. One world is inconsequential compared to the entirety of the Omniverse.”

“Thank you. This one world is all I desire.”


End file.
